Table Of Contents

List of Terms

The following terminology is used in the Cisco Nexus 1000V implementation.

Table 4-1 Cisco Nexus 1000V Terminology

Term

Description

Virtual Supervisor Module (VSM)

This is the control software of the Cisco Nexus 1000V distributed virtual switch. It runs on a virtual machine (VM) and is based on Cisco NX-OS.

Control VLAN

One of two VLANs for the communication between VSM and VEM. The control VLAN is used to exchange control messages. The network administrator configures the control VLAN. See packet VLAN.

Virtual Ethernet Module (VEM)

This is the part of Cisco Nexus 1000V that actually switches data traffic. It runs on a VMware ESX 4.0 host. Up to 64 VEMs are controlled by one VSM. All the VEMs that form a switch domain should be in the same virtual Data Center as defined by VMware vCenter Server.

Distributed Virtual Switch (DVS)

This is a logical switch that spans one or more VMware ESX 4.0 servers. It is controlled by one VSM instance.

ESX/ESXi

A virtualization platform used to create the virtual machines as a set of configuration and disk files that together perform all the functions of a physical machine.

Each ESX/ESXi host has a VI Client available for management use. If your ESX/ESXi host is registered with the vCenter Server, a VI Client that accommodates the vCenter Server features is available.

Managed Object Browser (MOB)

A tool that enables you to browse managed objects on VirtualCenter Server and ESX Server systems.

Packet VLAN

One of two VLANs for the communication between VSM and VEM. The packet VLAN forwards relevant data packets, such as CDP, from the VEM to the VSM. The network administrator configures the packet VLAN. See control VLAN.

Virtual Machine (VM)

A virtualized x86 PC environment in which a guest operating system and associated application software can run. Multiple virtual machines can operate on the same host system concurrently.

vCenter Server

A service that acts as a central administrator for VMware ESX/ESXi hosts that are connected on a network. vCenter Server directs actions on the virtual machines and the virtual machine hosts (the ESX/ESXi hosts).

vSphere Client

The user interface that lets users connect remotely to the vCenter Server or ESX/ESXi from any windows PC. The primary interface for creating, managing, and monitoring virtual machines, their resources, and their hosts. It also provides console access to virtual machines.